VIDALIA — On any given day, at any given time, eighth-grader Taylor Yates can find inspiration for one of her favorite passions.

Whether it’s a field full of flowers or a person walking down the street, Yates said she tries to capture the moment through her drawings.

“I love to draw, so I just draw,” she said. “It just kind of puts me in my own world.”

The 14-year-old Vidalia Junior High School student is in the gifted art program at her school, and said she loves her assignments each week.

“Sometimes we are given assignments to work on, but for the most part we get to choose,” she said. “I can draw whatever I want. It is fun to me. I am never bored when I draw.”

The honor roll student said while drawing is an integral part of her life; she has a different plan for her career.

“I want to be a pediatrician,” she said. “My whole family has always been in the medical field, and I have always been interested in it.”

Yates already has her road to becoming a pediatrician mapped out, with plans to get her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and then attend medical school at Tulane.

“I know for sure what I want to do now,” she said.

Until college gets here, Yates said she will be enjoying her time attending high school.

“Eighth grade has been my favorite year so far,” she said. “But I am excited to go to high school. There are going to be a lot of changes.”

Yates said there are going to be a lot of new faces next year, and she hopes her involvement in numerous sports and activities will help her meet some new people.

Yates was recently selected to be a cheerleader at Vidalia High School. She also plays softball and is active in the youth group at First Baptist Church in Vidalia.

Yates said she tries to stay as involved as she can so that she is always has something to do.

“I just cannot sit around the house,” she said. “I hate being lazy.”

Yates said even with a number of activities, she still plans on doing her best to keep up her grades.

“It teaches you responsibility when you keep your grades up,” she said. “If you keep them up you can go far. I want to get scholarships and make my parents proud.”

Taylor Yates is the daughter of Doug and Angela Yates.